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Re: Water changes and dying fish
> t only happens sometimes, so I think the idiots at the water company are
> adding something to the water intermittently. What, if anything is it?
>
Of course, without water analysis and parameter measurements, anything I say
will be pure wild speculation and generalizations. However, water
departments do occasionally add chemicals to stabilize their water lines.
Specifically what those might be for YOUR water, I have no idea. They could
include algicides, various chemicals to coat the pipes and cut back on
corrosion, etc. An anecdote: I used to live in a city that added a witch's
brew of chemicals on the 1st day of every month, to include algicides and
various additives. After losing fish from water changes done between the 1st
and 5th of the month, local aquarists figured it out. Local fish stores
posted warnings to aquarists not to use city tapwater for the first 5 days of
the month to allow time for the chemicals to dissipate through the
distribution system. Local fish deaths plummeted. Best bet: call the
Quality Control department of your local water department and discuss the
problem with them. Most water quality departments seem to have one guy there
who is really knowledgeable about special problems of fish, and who really
wants to help you. Once you learn their schedule for these additives, you'll
know when NOT to do water changes. Of course, I am presuming you know to use
dechlorinators and dechloraminators, adjusting the temperature, etc. And you
might benefit from putting your change water in 5 gallon plastic buckets,
then aerating it overnight with an airstone to drive off possible volatile
gases. One other possible approach would be to do smaller water changes more
frequently, so that you are adding back a minimal volume of city water at any
given change. (Now switching wild speculation mode to Off...)